Parliament backs Abbas as Maldives’ next prosecutor general

The Parliament has voted in approval of appointing Abbas Shareef, the secretary to the president on legal affairs, as the new prosecutor general.

The final floor vote took place on Tuesday morning, a day after the Judiciary Committee provided its backing to Abbas.

The Parliament, though in recess, had been holding extraordinary sittings to expedite work on appointing a new prosecutor general to replace Hussain Shameem, who was dismissed in a no-confidence vote on August 22.

The law requires for a new one to be appointed within 30 days.

Abbas was picked by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu from among candidates who applied for the vacancy. His nomination was sent to the committee for review on September 11. He received 93 percent during the committee review, and his candidacy was approved by unanimous consensus.

The Parliament took a floor vote on Abbas’ candidacy in an extraordinary sitting held on Tuesday morning. He received the legislative assembly’s backing with a unanimous vote of 85.

During his committee interview on Monday, Abbas said that he did not apply for the vacant PG role at the behest of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu or any other government official, but out of his own interest.

He also promised impartiality, integrity and transparency in executing his duties if appointed to the role.

“My personal guarantee is this – I will not look at anyone’s face. I will make decisions based solely on the facts of the case,” he said.

Abbas also spoke in favor of introducing parental responsibility laws to hold parents and guardians liable for crimes committed by their children.

Abbas holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania, Australia. Some high-profile figures he represented during his legal career includes former presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. He also served as a High Court judge from 2011-2015.

Following Tuesday’s floor vote on Abbas and a government bill to amend the Companies Act, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla announced that the Parliament will not be holding any more extraordinary sittings during the recess. He announced that the new session will begin on October 7.